The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-08-11
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
DlCKEY AND SHE PAY A VISIT
TO THE CITY or FLORENCE.
They Have Trouble with Their Railroad
Ticket Because of the Italian Spelling
of the City's Name, Which is Firenze.
Their Joint Observations.
LSnecial Corresnondence.l


FLORENCE, Italy, July Cove have trav-
eled over 1900 miles and in three Ian
guages since leaving New York, and for two
women, who never had any previous for
eign experience, and only speak English,
think we are doing first rate. We have
never missed connection, never been late
for train, never got into the wrong station,
town or hotel, and haven't had an accident
or a delay. ! don't say this boastingly, but
merely to show those who told us women
couldn't travel alone that women can do
good many things if they are only given the
opportunity.
Ipresume everybody who goes to Florence
(which in Italian is Firenze, and which came
near getting me into trouble at the station
because | was going to Florence and not
Firenze as the ticket called for) climbs the
| famous gingerbread campanile by the side of
the Cathedral of st. Gingerbread, the star
architectural attraction of Florence. did,
and found that the roofs of the t wn pre-
sented a symphony in brown, which, though
common in tiled roof Italy, reached its highest
development here. The whole place seemed
to have had brown tarpaulin spread over
it, with the edges pegged down to the green
of the fields beyond, and we got about as
much idea of the plan of the city as if we had
gone down cellar instead of up to the garnet.
One of the most tiresome things to look at in
Italy is the tiled roof. There isn't any other
kind because there isn't timber enough in
the country to make shingles, and tin or slate
is rather too modern.
Our boy is still with rs and is still making
remarks An American in the party is in a
constant state of surprise at finding people in
Italy who speak English, and he invariably
compliments the speaker with "Ah, you speak
very good English" Coming here some
English people came into our compartment,
and our American was soon talking to them.
l was over in the corner trying to hold the
boy down.
"Get on to his nibs," said he, in hoarse
whisper.
"Sh-sh," said I, shaking him; "let the man
talk if he wants to-"
"Of course l will, said he. "You might as
well try to dam up the waters of the Nile
with bulrushes and so forth, but I'll bet four
leen dollars and seventy-fve cents that the
next thing he says will be, 'Ah, you speak
very good English"
But he didn't, and it had such an effect on
the boy that he kept perfectly quiet for half
an hour.
We had q guide in Florence, and he was an
artist, for he had made mosaics for several
years, but he didn't know the intricacies of
cur language. He was showing us the tomb
of the Medicis, that wonderful work in
precious and hard stones, and was quite de-
sirous that we be impressed with the fact that
} the polished surfaces of stone, rejecting the
frescoes of the dome as in a mirror, were not
| marble, but hard stone, which would turn the
} edge of any ordinary chisel Every time
either of us would inadvertently say marble
the guide would exclaim: "Not marblel Not
marble! 1t is not marble, but hard and
precious stone" Just before leaving the place
we put our faces close down to the shining
) surface of the dado and looked far into its
depths, as into the depths of clear water.
| at is marvellous" said Dickey, rapturously.
: "No, no." said the guide with an unex
S pectedness that startled u.s. "it is not marble
$ it is hard and precious stone"
:. Dickey was in earnest, and SO was the guide
D and she tried to explain to him the nature Of
her emotion as expressed by "marvelous," but
he couldn't comprehend, and she gave it up
By the way, the guide told us that THU
Medici, tomb monument, chapel, or whatever
d it may be called, had cost 25O,000,00O francs
The figures are slightly elevated, SO to speak
but you don't have to believe guide unles
', you want to.
Florence is headquarters for art for tn
e whole world, and the Ufiizi-Pitti gallery o
Is paintings and statuary is not measured b,
t, feet, but miles, and after extending along
If street or two in Florence it crosses the rive
= and takes in considerable territory on tn
ii other side. About mile and three-quarter
J, of these paintings are old portraits, and ar
le not worth the canvas they are painted on, bu
Ell they are kept on the walls and have to b
looked at along with the others and rave
/, over by lovers of old masters and other an
is tiquities
a. Florence is quite pretty town, and on
q. feels like calling it sweet place." 1t
ID suburbs bring their green shades close to tn
r. city, and the smell Of the trees and the flower
TO almost neutralizes the usual bad odors preva
y lent in an Italian town.
e. Until we reached Florence the rule of con
m struction in Italian churches appeared to b
m to put all the ornamentation on the inside
b. and cover it in with walls and roof who's
n chief merit was durability and ugliness; bu
b. in Florence the order is changed, and the CO
IS thedral is building as gaudy in its exterio
el as it is the reverse within. Its front, built
ne white and colored marbles and trimme
= with statues and voluted columns and othe
architectural passementerie like the front o
a skirt, is just finished, after several hundre
years of waiting, and it is real pretty, BIT
somehow it lacks dignity. 1t looked to me
good deal like Methodist preacher in "
I ciferous plaid suit, and still l couldn't hel
but admire it. The campanile, or bell towe
adjoining, which is a sort Of long handle
4 the cathedral, is the result of an order
a construct the most graceful and beautifI
tower in the world. don't know whether
!. is or not, but climbed to the top of it.
n They had big celebration in the cathedr,
II the day we visited it, and the place was full
q An orchestra and a choir Of he singers occl
pied one portion of the transept The bishop
I priests and assistants held the center with Il
8 usual religious services while the crow
s promenaded around, talking and laughing
pretty much as it would through the lobby
4 a theatre between the acts.
81 1 can't say that it was an uninterestir
& church service, but it was, to say the leas
slightly different from what we had bee
accustomed to at home.
Il As we left the cathedral we saw whit
y everybody sees in every Italian town-nam
n ly, two or three men sound asleep in the SUI
II SWELL" said Dickey, in tone OF DISCUS
} sit seems TO me these people don't do an
thing else but sleep and go to church"